A wine bar has won approval to make its temporary outdoor shelter a permanent fixture.

The City Wall in Rochester High Street first erected the structure as part of its outdoor seating area and garden during the Covid -19 pandemic.

Temporary shelters were built under relaxed planning rules at the time to help businesses enable social distancing and recover trade following months of lockdown measures.

However, in July 2022, owner of the business Sanjay Raval was served with an enforcement notice to remove the shelter on the grounds they were made of materials not in keeping with the character of the street.

Mr Raval amended the plans following advice from planning officers, including reducing the size of the shelters and removing gazebos which were also intended for the site.

A retrospective application to keep the shelter as part of the wine bar’s outdoor seating area and garden was considered by Medway Council’s planning committee at a meeting on June 5.

There were 11 letters of objection to the proposals, including from the City of Rochester Society, Rochester Cathedral, and the owner and residents of a block of flats next door to the City Wall.

Their objections included the proposals did not fit in with the character of the area, that the shelters would obscure the view of Rochester’s historic city wall and would increase the level of disturbance for neighbours.

But officers disagreed, saying the changes which had been made to the plans struck a balance between the rights of the business to operate and the need to be in keeping with the street’s historic aesthetic.

The area discussed in the planning proposals consists of a surfaced area closer to the street and a garden towards the back.

The surfaced area would be allowed for use during all opening hours of the pub, including during the evening, but to accommodate residents nearby the garden is restricted for use only up to 7pm, except on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays before Bank Holidays.

Cllr Kwashie Anang (Con) asked officers about the possible impacts to the archaeology of the area considering its historic nature.

But officers said because the structures didn’t dig down into the ground the archaeologists consulted did not raise any objections.

Planning committee chair, Cllr Chrissy Stamp (Lab) supported the application, saying: “I’ve been and looked at this site myself and I’m quite happy with the way it is.

“It does blend into the adjoining restaurant, with the planters and the seating area, and it was brought up that the city wall was obscured, but in my opinion that’s minimal.”

The application was approved unanimously by all 15 councillors on the committee.